Lotion application device

ABSTRACT

A lotion application device includes a protective shell, a rotatable plate that mounts onto the shell, and a sponge secured to the plate. The sponge can be exposed and used to apply lotions to the skin, or the sponge can be concealed so the device can be transported without risk of contamination or damage to the sponge.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/160,651, filed Oct. 21, 1999, which application is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a device for applying lotions, creamsor gels to the skin surface.

Lotion applicators for applying lotions to the skin are known in theprior art. These applicators are commonly used in conjunction withsuntan lotion, liquid soaps, or ointments of similar viscosity, so thelotion can be applied to the skin without the user having to handle thelotion directly. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,005 (issued toBrown), U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,984 (issued to Evans), U.S. Pat. No.5,341,538 (issued to Banome), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,171 (issued toJones), the applicators typically include a body and an applicationsponge. The body may further include a reservoir for holding the lotionto be applied to the skin, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,342,issued to Patalano. If the body includes a reservoir, holes or similaroutlet ports are provided in the reservoir to allow the lotion to feedfrom the reservoir to the sponge.

One problem with the lotion applicators of the prior art is that thesponge remains exposed to the surroundings at all times, thus riskingcontamination of the sponge. Further, with the sponge exposed to thesurroundings, it can be difficult to transport the lotion applicator,for example, to the beach, because of risk of damaging the sponge.Another problem with the lotion applicators of the prior art is that thelotion to be applied to the skin is supplied in one bottle and must thenbe transferred to the reservoir of the lotion applicator. This can be amessy operation and can leave the user's hands feeling sticky or greasy,which can be undesirable, such as when on the beach, or dangerous, suchas when in a shower.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a lotion application device that includes aprotective shell and a sponge secured to a replaceable, rotatable platethat mounts onto the shell. The device has a closed position, in whichthe sponge is hidden within the shell, and an open position, in whichthe sponge is exposed to the surroundings. Because the plate can berotated to hide the sponge within the shell, the risk of contaminationof the sponge is reduced, and the sponge can be easily transportedwithout risk of damaging the sponge.

In a preferred embodiment, the plate can further include a latchingdevice that prevents the plate from rotating about its axis without theuser releasing the latch.

In an alternative preferred embodiment, the lotion to be applied isencased within the sponge, eliminating the need for the lotion to betransferred to the sponge.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lotion application device made inaccordance with the present invention in the open position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 in the closedposition;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view of the turning pin of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of the rotatable plate of the deviceof FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the sponge of the device of FIG.1;

FIG. 8 is an alternative embodiment of a lotion application device madein accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the shell of the device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9A is a bottom perspective view of the shell of the device of FIG.8;

FIG. 10 is a side perspective view of the knob of the device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a side perspective view of the handle of the device of FIG.8; and

FIG. 12 is a side perspective view of the teeth of the handle of FIG.11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The lotion application device depicted in the various Figures isselected solely for the purposes of illustrating the invention. Otherand different application devices may utilize the inventive featuresdescribed herein as well.

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1 through 7 in which the deviceconstructed in accordance with the present invention is generally notedby the character numeral 10. The device 10 has as major components ashell 12, a rotatable plate 14 which is mounted on the shell 12, and asponge 16 which is attached to plate 14. The device 10 is designed toallow a user to expose the sponge 16 (“open position”), as shown in FIG.1, or to conceal the sponge 16 (“closed position”) exposing only theplate 14, as shown in FIG. 2. When the sponge 16 is exposed, it can beused to apply lotions, such as sunscreen, moisturizer, liquid soap, orother flowable products, to the skin. When the sponge 16 is concealed,the device 10 can be transported, for example taken to the beach,without risk of contamination or damage to the sponge 16.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 through 7, the shell 12 has a body 30 havinga length “l”, a width “w”, and a depth at the deepest point “d”. Thebody 30 has a top region 36, side walls 38, 38′, end walls 40, 40′, andtabs 42, 42′, and defines an interior face 32 and an exterior face 34.The top 36 covers the sponge 16 when the applicator 10 is closed. Theside walls 38, 38′ extend downwardly lengthwise from the top 36, and theends 40, 40′ extend downwardly from the top 36 widthwise, with the sidewalls 38, 38′ and ends 40, 40′ terminating to form a lip 44, having athickness “t”. The thickness “t” of the lip 44 is preferablyrepresentative of the thickness of the shell 12, although the top 36 maybe reinforced if desired. The side walls 38, 38′ are fused to the ends40, 40′ where they juxtapose. The end 40 has a tab 42, which includes anaperture 18 positioned along a longitudinal axis “x”. The tab 42 isformed by essentially parallel slits 46, 48 cut from the lip 44 towardthe top 38. The slits 46, 48 are approximately equidistant and onopposite sides of the aperture 18, and are cut to approximately the samedepth “s”. An essentially identical tab 42′ is formed by slits 46′, 48′on end 40′ and has an aperture 18′ positioned along the axis “x”. Theshell 12 can have any shape that can include a top 36, side walls 38,38′, and ends 40, 40′, such as a rectangular block shape, a curved ovoidshape, a hollow hemispherical shape, or the like. In the preferredembodiment, the shell 12 has a slightly curved shape for ease ofhandling by the user. The shell 12 can be made from any material whichcan be formed into the desired shape, but preferably is made from asemi-rigid plastic, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, high densitylinear polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), amorphous polyethylene terephthalate (APET), highdensity polyethylene/ethylvinyl acetate (HDPE/EVA) copolymer,glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG), acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene (ABS), or combinations thereof, and is formed througha molding process.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the rotatable plate 14 is an essentiallyflat piece 21 having a length “pl” and a width “pw”, and defining afront face 20 and a rear face 22. The front face 20 has an essentiallyflat center section 54 to which the sponge 16 can be attached. The flatcenter 54 may extend to the periphery of the front face 20, or anelevated edge 52 can optionally be included along the periphery of theface 20. The rear face 22 may be flat, as shown in FIG. 2, but othershapes are acceptable. The plate 14 further includes attachment pins 24,24′ that project from the piece 21. The pins 24, 24′ must be long enoughto project through the apertures 18, 18′, respectively, to hold theplate 14 in the shell 12. With the pins 24, 24′ projecting through theapertures 18, 18′, the plate 14 can rotate about the axis “x” betweenthe open position and the closed position. Preferably, the plate 14 canbe easily removed from the shell 12 by lifting the tabs 42, 42′ andreleasing the pins 24, 24′ from the apertures 18, 18′. This allows theuser to exchange the plate 14 and sponge 16, if so desired. The plate 14can be made from any material which can be formed into the desiredshape, but preferably is made from a semi-rigid plastic, such aspolyethylene, polypropylene, high density linear polyethylene, polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), amorphous polyethyleneterephthalate (APET), high density polyethylene/ethylvinyl acetate(HDPE/EVA) copolymer, glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG),acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or combinations thereof, and isformed through a molding process.

It may be advantageous to limit the rotation of the plate 14 within theshell 12 at certain times, such as when the device is in the openposition or in the closed position. One way to limit the rotation is toprovide a coordinating structure to “lock” the plate 14 in positionrelative to the shell 12. FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 show plate 14 with anoptional thumb 25 protruding from the pin 24. The thumb 25 can cooperatewith an optional notch 43 (not shown) scored into the exterior face ofthe tab 42 to keep the plate 14 from rotating between the opened andclosed position without the user forcing the thumb 25 out of the notch43. More than one notch 43 may be included on the tab 42 to allow theplate 14 to be locked into different positions.

Because the plate 14 is mounted within the shell 12 but is notpermanently affixed to the shell 12, the plate 14 is preferably easilyremovable from the shell 12. As shown in FIGS. 1-6, the tab 42′ caninclude an optional release 50′, to assist the user in bending the tab42′ outward, thus releasing the pin 24′ from the aperture 18′. Anessentially identical release 50, and essentially identical notches 43may be included on the tab 42. The release 50 allows for the tab 42 tobe more easily lifted away from the plate 14, so the pins 24, 24′ can beremoved from the apertures 18, 18′. A new plate 14 can then be insertedinto the shell 12.

The sponge 16, shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, is attached onto the frontface 20 of the plate 14. The sponge 16 is sized to allow the plate 14 torotate along the axis “x” with the sponge 16 attached. The sponge 16 canbe made from any foamed or felt material that can absorb or adsorblotion, such as foamed polyurethane. A variety of glues or adhesivesknown in the art can be used to attach the sponge 16 to the plate 14.Optionally, the sponge 16 may include a cavity within the sponge 16which can contain a lotion, gel, or cream, such as suntan lotion orliquid soap product, or the lotion can otherwise be impregnated into thesponge 16.

In a preferred embodiment, lotion application device 10 is constructedfrom a shell 12 made of high density polyethylene, a plate 14 made ofhigh density polyethylene, and a sponge 16 made of polyurethane. Theshell 12 has a length “l” of approximately 5″, a width “w” of about 3½″,and a depth “d” of about 1½″ at the centermost point of the top region36, and a lip 44, having a thickness “t” of about ⅛′. The shell 12 has aslightly curved shape, but the side walls 38, 38′ are slightly flattenedto allow for easier gripping by the user. End 40 includes slits 46, 48,each approximately ½″ long (“s”). The slits 46, 48 are separated fromeach other by about ¾″ to form a tab 42. Centered on the tab 42 is anaperture 18 of approximately ¼″ diameter, and above the apertureessentially parallel to the lip 44 is a release 50 extending across thetab 42 and projecting outward from the exterior face 32 of the shell 12by about ⅛″. The tab 42 includes two notches 43, both essentiallyparallel to the lip 44, one on either side of the aperture 18.

The plate 14 has a width “pw”of approximately 3″, a length “pl”of about4½″, rounded edges, and flat surfaces on the front and rear faces 20,22. The attachment pins 24, 24′ project from the plate 14 by about ½″along an axis “x”. Each pin 24, 24′ further includes a thumb 25, 25′,respectively, measuring about ⅛″ in length. The plate 14 is secured tothe shell 12 by the pins 24, 24′ projecting through the apertures 18,18′, respectively.

The sponge 16 has a shape similar to the plate 14 but has a width ofabout 2¾″, a length of about 4″, and a thickness of about ¼″. The spongeis impregnated with microencapsulated suntan lotion, and is attached tothe plate 14 with pressure sensitive adhesive.

An alternative embodiment 110 of the lotion application device 10 isshown in FIGS. 8-12. As shown in FIG. 8, the lotion application device110 may be used in conjunction with other attachments, such as a handle.The lotion applicator 110 shown in FIG. 8 is essentially identical tothe applicator of FIG. 1 except that an ergonomically designed handle154 (shown in FIGS. 11, 12) and an optional knob 160 (shown in FIG. 10)have been attached to the device 110, and the shell 112 has beenmodified as shown in FIGS. 9 and 9A to include latching indents 152 foraccepting the teeth 156 of the handle 154. Similar to the device 10 ofFIG. 1, the device 110 includes a rotatable plate 114 with an attachedsponge 116. The plate 114 is mounted in the shell 112 in the same mannerthat plate 14 mounts to shell 12. The handle 154 can be fixedly attachedto the shell 112 of the device 110, or it can be removable at the user'sdiscretion. The handle 154 can have any of several known designs, suchas a long handle projecting from the shell 112 (as shown in the FIGS.8-12), or a strap-type handle extending across the exterior face 134 ofthe shell 112 (not shown). The shell 112 can also have shapes other thanthe shape shown in the FIGS. 1-12, with the plate 114 and sponge 116being shaped to complement the shell 112 configuration.

It is understood that, in light of a reading of the foregoingdescription and drawings, those with ordinary skill in the art will beable to make changes and modifications to the present invention withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention, as defined herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An applicator for applying lotion to the skin comprising: a. a shell, having a top and walls and defining a longitudinal axis, said walls having a pair of apertures positioned along the axis; b. a plate, adapted to fit within the walls of said shell, and having a pair of pins extending from said plate such that the pins protrude through the apertures of said shell; and c. a sponge, attached to the face of said plate and selected by size and configuration so that when said sponge is attached to said plate and said plate is mounted in said shell, said plate can freely rotate about the longitudinal axis from a closed position, where said sponge is positioned between said shell and said plate, to an open position, where said plate is positioned between said shell and said sponge.
 2. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said shell further includes a pair of moveable tabs, each tab formed by a pair of essentially parallel slits cut through the wall about equidistant from the aperture.
 3. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said shell and said plate include coordinating structure that latch said plate in the open position.
 4. The applicator of claim 1 wherein said sponge is impregnated with lotion.
 5. The applicator of claim 1 further including a handle attached to the shell. 